Archive:

Feb 2015

The world is more complex and fragile than ever before. These trends are bigger than any one organization can solve,” says Todd Latham. “The Energy of Water theme for the 2015 Canadian Water Summit is more than the water/energy nexus conversation – it’s about water professionals celebrating the positives and opportunity that water can bring to Canada. The professionals in attendance will be engaged and inspired by a program that encourages collaboration and seizes advantages of the ‘energy of water’ in Canada and around the world.”

“The Kamloops study generally confirmed findings of other researchers that high branch angles, smooth bark, and substantial woody infrastructure contribute to high stemflow production. However, it also identified exceptions to general patterns as well as factors that have not previously been analyzed – for example, the role of multiple leaders in a canopy vs. a strong single leader,” reported Julie Schooling. “This study builds on precedent-setting research in British Columbia, filling gaps in science-based understanding of tree canopy processes and promoting translation of the science to application through tools such as the Tree Canopy Module of the rebuilt Water Balance Model.”

“Implementing change is primarily a people matter, not a technical one,” states Erik Karlsen. “Bridging the gap between interest and practice involves motivating practitioners to engage in ways that provide sufficient meaning to inspire them and lead to action. The desired outcome is implementation of on-the-ground changes in policies, programs, applied research, practitioner education and standards of practice that lead to full integration of land development and water management. In a fully ‘integrated landscape’, water is the unifying element.”

“In May 2014, Canada, BC and UBCM signed the renewed Gas Tax Agreement for a 10-yr term,” reports Glen Brown. “The Agreement identifies that local governments will be required to meet asset management commitments, as established by the Partnership Committee (the committee that oversees the strategic implementation of the agreement). These asset management commitments are aligned with the newly developed ‘Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework’; and support local governments moving towards service, asset and financial sustainability.”